Catapult Calypso
Label: Sonic Unyon
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Catapult Calypso
Proving experimental noise need not always be abrasive, Ad Astra Per Aspera builds its adventurous debut disc Catapult Calypso around gripping melodies. The Lawrence, Kan.-based band’s guitarists catalyze this unique fusion of ambition and accessibility: Mike Tuley unleashes massive fractured-funk riffs as well as clarion leads that seem scraped from the crest of a power-metal solo, while Brooke Hunt adds atmospheric shimmers and summons haunting chimes from the taut strings above her fret board. When their parts intersect, it’s like Jack White jamming with Thurston Moore, all corrugated-blues brawn and otherworldly tunings. This 40-minute album incorporates sitars, honky-tonk piano, falsetto vocals and strangulated shrieks (both Tuley) and skittering disco-punk rhythms. The staggering eclecticism isn’t distracting because the categorical catchiness provides cohesion, and the technical complexity isn’t intimidating; plus, Tuley’s stutter-step style connects the dots. If Catapult Calypso stops short of blowing listeners’ minds, it’s to preserve the hooks it indelibly plants in their brains.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2006.